Swingletree attachment.



PATENTED MAY 19, 1908.

s. 1 RIEGBL. SWINGLETREE ATTACHMENT.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 10, 1907.

Unosnloz \Samm JD: 7226 J UNITED STATES PATENT. OFFICL.

SAMUEL D. RIEGEL, or EXPERIMENT, GEORGIA, IASSIGNOR or oil's-HALF To JESSE c. TUR- .NIPsEED, or GRIFFIN, GEORGIA.

SWINGLETREE ATTACHMENT.

. I To all whom it may concern." g

Be it known that 'I, SAMUEL D. RIEGEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at Experiment, in the county of Spalding and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in swingletree Attachments, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to a swingletree attachment whereby the traces of a harness can be readily attached to or detached from the swingletree and firmly held .position.

The invention has for one of its objects to improve and simplify the construction and operation of devices of this character, so as to be comparatively eas and inexpensive to manufacture, thoroug 11y reliable and eflicient in use and having its parts so arranged- I as to ermit a trace to be conveniently and quick y attached or detached.

A further object of the invention is to provide a trace holding device for swingletrees in which the parts are so arranged that the holding efi'ect becomes greater as the draft on the trace increases.

A still further object of the invention is the provision of a trace holding device, so designed that there will be no movement on the trace at its rear end, accompanying the up and down movement of the horse as in trotting, so that there will be no erceptible wear on the parts ofthe device, t iereby overcoming one of the great objections to other ordinary swingletrees in which the traces are free to oscillate with the movement of the horseto gradually wear the breakage occurs.

With these objects and others in view, as will appear as the description proceeds, .the invention comprises the various novel features of construction and arrangement of arts, which will be more fully described ereinafter and set forth with particularity in the appended claims. I

In the accompanying drawing, which illustrates one of the embodiments of the invention:Figure 1 is aperspective view of one end of'a swingle tree with the attachment applied and showing the rear portion of a trace. ig. 2 is a central horizontal section of the trace holder or attachment. Fig. '3 is asiinilar view showing the hinged member or keeper of the device in open position for er- Initting a trace to be attached or detac led. Fig. tie a side view of the device with a keeper in open position.

parts away so that Specification of Letters Patent. Application filed April 10, 1907. Serial No. 867,382.

face of the trace.

Patented May 19, 1908.

Similar reference characters are employed to designate similar parts throughout the several views.

Referring to the drawing, 1 designates a portion of the swingletree of ordinary construction, on the end of which-is applied a trace holder or attachment designated generally by 2 whereby the trace 3 is connected with the swingletree.

The device 2 comprises a head 4 formed integral with a sleeve 5 whereby a ferrulelike body is presented, the sleeve portion having an a erture 6 for the reception of a screw 7, ass own clearly in Fig. 1, whereby the device is rigidly secured to the-swingletree. Extendin outwardly-from the flat surface of the head 4, are spaceddn s 8 formed integral therewith and havin t eir outer ends rounded so asto freely receive the trace. 'In the present instance, three such lugs are shown and the trace has groups of horizontally extending transverse apertures 9, for 'ermitting the trace to be ad uStably secure to'the device 2; in other words, the trace canbe lengthened orshortened by inserting the lugs 8 into any one of the groups of openings 9.

In order to hold the trace on the lugs 8 and prevent lateral displacement, a kee or 10 is employed, which 1s a hinged 111em er provided with ears 11 at one end, that en age between arms 12, extending outwardly om the head 4 and these arms and ears are apertured to receive a pintle 13 whereby the keeper is free to swing outwardly and forwardly away from'the head 4. The arms 12 are so arranged and proportioned asto perinit the trace to be inoved longitudinally between the arms at the top and bottom and the hinged end of the keeper and lugs 8 at the sides. At the free end of the keeper is a finger hold 14 to be gri ped between the thumb and first fin er, w ereby the kee er can be open or closed. On the hinged end of the keeper is an inwardly extending cam 15 that is adapted to engage on the outer sur- The object of this cam is to cause the draft on the trace to hold the keeper tightly in position and thus constitutes a locking device whereby the keeper is prevented from opening as long as the draft is maintained on the trace.

In practice the trace is fastened by first throwing the keeper 10 to the position shown in Fig. 3, whereupon the trace can ,be moved 5 engage it over on t from the front between the keeper and the 111 s 8, as shown by dotted lines in Fig. 2.

W ile the openings are in register with the lugs 8,'the trace is ushed laterall so as to lie lugs. The lleeperlO 1s then swung closed to the position shown in .FigJZ, whereby the cam causes the trace to be ofi'set at that oint as indicated by dotted lines in-Fig..2. ence', as draftis applied to the trace, the latter acts on the cam so as to move the latter forwardly and thus hold the lugs 8.

keeper in contact with the extremities of the latter and swing the keeper outwardlygwhere- .upon the trace can be disengaged from the pertains, and Whi .vciple of 'ulled forwardly out of the trace lugs and he arrangement' ofthe parts is he der.

- such that .thetrace'f is prevented from having V an oscillatory v attachment of the swingletree, so that Wear,

movement about'the point of of the parts isjreduged to a minimum;

Frdm the foregoing, description, taken in connection with the accompanying drawing,

the advantages of constructionfand' method of operation will be readil' apparent to those skil ed in ,the'ia'rt; to whit e invention aple I have described the prino eration of theinvention together With the best embodiment thereoflI desire to-have it understood that the device shown is merely bear a ing a socketedbody havin a illustrative and thatsuqh changes may be made when desired as are within the scope of-the' claims;

What is claimed, isz- 1-. A trace holder for svvin When it isdesired to detach the trace, 1t'1s merely necessary to ease up/ on the evice which I now'fconsider to be gainst the extremities of the members and a cam-on the keepernadaptedto extend transversely, of the trace tobe' engaged there' by for holding the keeper in '2. A trace holder for swing ing a socketed member havin a disk-shaped head, a plurality of paralle members arranged in a rowand extending outwardly from the head in a direction parallel to the length of the swingletree, apair o f;spaced arms on the head, a swin ing keeper disposed parallel with the head w en bearing against the extremities of thememb'ers, mounting the keeper on the"anns, and a cam on'the hinged end of thekeeper oflset a traceahd' cause the draft on the latter to mainta'inthe keeper in looking position.

3. traee'holder for swin letrees-comprising a suitably shaped ,bof

etrees comprisin a. trace and arranged toprevent vertical movement of the trace, a front'endto the body directly-onf'th'e said member to prevent lateral' disenga ement of the trace from the member, an means on .the keeper ad'acent the hinged end thereof to be acted on y the tracefor holdin the keeper in position.

' 4,. A trace holiler for swingletrees comprising a'suitably shaped body, an outwardly extending member thereon for enga ing an aperture inthe trace, arms on the Ody, a

arranged to ermit the trace to'be inserted between the, eeper and body, and a device on the keeper arranged to permit the draft n on the trace to hold tion.

In testimonywhereof, I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

SAMUEL D. RIEGEL. Witnesses:

W. A. BAKER, E. W. Don.

adapted toy' fixed 0n the swinglet're an outwardly e'xtending menu-- berladapted to project through an aperture.

keeper hin ed at its and adapts to bear the keeper in closed posi-' OSItlOD'.

a pivot for I keeper hingedly mounted on the arms and I 

